Apparatus for ringing tower bells



Feb. 2, 1960 w. P. WANNEMACHER 2,923,931

APPARATUS FOR RINGING TOWER BELLS Filed May 10, 1957 6 Sheets-Sheet 1 6 Sheets-Sheet 2 W. P. WANNEMACHER Feb. 2, 1960 APPARATUS FOR RINGING TOWER BELLS Filed May 10, 1957 3% 2. L INVENTOR. 1

Feb. 2, 1960 w. P. WANNEMACHER 2,923,931

APPARATUS FOR RINGING TOWER BELLS 6 Sheets-Sheet 3 Filed May 10, 1957 INVENTOR. lfl/z/zemac/zer W6 UIFQ Feb. 2, 1960 W. P. WANNEMACHER APPARATUS FOR RINGING TOWER BELLS Filed May 10, 1957 6 Sheets-Sheet 4 INVENTOR. Mllczm P Zflan/ze/nac/zefi 1960 w. P. WANNEMACHER 2,923,931

APPARATUS FOR RINGING TOWER BELLS 6 Sheets-Sheet 5 Filed May 10, 1957 APPARATUS FOR RINGING TOWER BELLS Filed May 10, 1957 6 Sheets-Sheet 6 INVENTOR. ZM JZZz'a/n P Zflanrzemczc/wr United States Patent APPARATUS FOR RINGING TOWER BELLS William P. Wannemacher, Bloomington, 111. Application May 10, 1957, Serial No. 658,272 17 Claims. (Cl. 340-398) This invention relates to a mechanism devised to automatically ring tower bells or the like, the mechanism taking the place of the normal conventional bell clapper which is removed when the substitute mechanism is installed to carry out the function of the clapper.

More specifically, the present invention is directed to a comparably light weight and relatively inexpensive apparatus that can be positioned in a given relation to a tower bell to provide a means for ringing such as bell.

One of the objects of the invention is to provide an easily adaptable apparatus for the function of ringing bells as a substitute mechanism for the clappers or other bell ringing equipment that has become obsolete or which is out of service. Many tower or other bells stand idle for want of service or replacement of the normal accessory or bell ringing equipment and remain so by reason of the problems involved to again brace old towers to accommodate a swinging bell, and because of the cost of bell ringing equipment that is expensive and in need of elaborate installation requirements. The latter are due to the weight of such equipment and in many cases due to the electrical current handling means that must be employed to complete certain of such installations.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a bell ringing mechanism that will operate to its utmost eificiency by the use of the ordinary house or building supply current of 110 volts. This is and can be supplied from the usual power source in any public building, church or other structure having a bell tower.

As another object, the invention presents apparatus that does not require a swinging bell and functions to ring bells that have been made stationary in respect to their tower supports thus relieving the tower and tower bell supports of all strains and stresses that are normally encountered by swinging bells or to which a tower may be subjected through the use of other heavy equipment that has been heretofore employed as a means for swinging a bell to ring the latter by means of the clapper of the bell. The present design of apparatus proposed by the instant invention eliminates the conventional clapper as such and provides a substitute striker which carries out this function with equal efficiency and results.

As another object, the present apparatus provides a swinging pendulum striker having a weight end and a clapper head thereon that can be positioned adjacent any portion of a bell inside or outside, preferably inside, to strike the bell surface for bell toll and to provide a mechanism that regulates the movements of such striker along the arc of its travel for bell ringing purposes.

A further object is to supply control equipment of electrical character that will serve to operate the bell ringing mechanism to carry out selected bell ringing programs and which make the entire combination an auto matically operable one that functions in a given and foolproof manner.

Another object is to provide a compactmechanism in.- cluding a swingable striker that ismechanically and. election having reference to the accompanying drawings.

forming a part of this specification.

In the drawings:

Fig. l is a generally diagrammatic illustration of a tower bell including the associated bell ringing apparatus of the present invention as it would appear in a typical and completely operative installation to provide a means for ringing such a bell;

Fig. 2 is an enlarged side elevational view of the bell ringer including a fragmentary portion of the bell and numerous general details of the operative mechanism of this apparatus;

Fig. 3 is an end elevational view of the same apparatus shown partially in section and as it would appear substantially along the plane of the line 3-3 in Fig. 2;

Fig. 4 is another end elevational view of a fragmentary portion of the bell ringing mechanism as viewed from the plane of the line 4-4 in Fig. 2;

Fig. 5 is a side elevational view of the bell ringer as it appears with the front frame plate removed and with the operating parts of the ringer in changed position to illustrate the cycle of operation of the unit;

Fig. 6 is a view of the apparatus similarly shown as in Fig. 5 but illustrating another changed and advanced position of the operative parts of the device;

Fig. 7 shows a still further advanced and changed position of the same cooperative elements comprising the Referring now to Fig. 1, the assembly shown consists of a bell 1, with yoke 2 including a rock shaft 3 carried in a bearing (there being two such shafts and bearings) with a support 4 for the bearing. In the illustration shown, the conventional bell clapper has been removed and suitable means such as auxiliary brackets 5 are connected between the support 4 and bell yoke 2 to brace and steady the bell 1 and to fix such bell against move ment on its rock shafts.

Supported in a given relation below the bell is the bell ringing apparatus 6 of the present invention which is anchored by fastening units 7 and 8 including resilient spacers 9 and 10 respectively to counteract vibration transfer to the rigid support 11 carried upon piers l2 and 13 or upon any other sturdy and fixed supporting elements of a bell tower.

Referring now to Figs. 2 and 3, the bell ringing apparatus 6 includes a composite frame having front and rear plates 14 and 15 secured to a base plate 16 and including a top tie rod 17. The fastening units 7 and 8 mount the base plate 16 upon the support 11 and position the entire bell ringer in a given relation with respect to the hell 1.

An extension supporting plate or bracket 18 is secured to the rear frame plate 15 having a flange 19 at its outer end to carry a cross plate 20, both plates 18 and 20 being used to mount operating units as will presently appear.

3 There may be other power means mentalities employed to actuate the bell ringer, but in the present design, a motor 21 is used for that purpose. Motor 21 is mounted upon plate 18 and has a double ended drive shaft 22 connected at one end with a flexible coupling 23 that drives an aligned shaft 24 that enters a speed reduction transmission unit 25 of a conventional but selected design. The other end of shaft 22 drives a brake wheel or drum 26, best shown in Fig. 4, and a two shoe brake 27 is actively used about the wheel 26 to permit freeirotation of the motor shaft 22 and wheel 26 or to stop such motion upon current cut-off to the motor 21.

yThe brake 27 is controlled by means of a solenoid 28 having its movable core or pole piece 29 connected to operate a brake release arm 39 that rotates the bar cam 31-to react against and spread the shoe wings 32 that are urged toward each other by the springs 33 to normally provide an active braking condition to hold wheel 26 and shaft 22 against rotation. released by energization of the solenoid 28 to spread the brake shoes ,with the bar cam 31, the shoes being carried Such brake action is or driving instrucit The striker 54 is normally freely swingable upon shaft 43 except for the associated mechanisms that regulate the action of such a striker. As shown in Fig. 2, releasable latch means 59 is provided to hold the striker 54 at rest in a forwardly inclined position in relation to the adjacent bell surface. This latch means 59 consists of a latch roller 60 supported on a swinging bracket 61 having shaft ends or trunnions 61a rotatably mounted in suitable openings in frame plates 14 and 1S. Springs 62 urge the latch bracket upwardly against a fixed stop 63 secured to plate which stop orients the latch for its proper striker stopping function. The striker 54 carries the latching plate 64 having a deflecting latch cam face 65 terminating with a latch lock element 66 that rests against the latch roller 60 to hold the striker at the angle it is shown in Fig. 2 and with the weights and clapper disposed in a forwardly raised position and in one I location along the arc of travel of the striker.

upon their pivotal mountings 34 that are supported from plate 20.

The motor drive as transmitted by shaft 24 to the speed, reduction transmission is then continued out of the transmission by a shaft 35 transversely located to enter the space between the parallel frame plates 14 and 15 through appropriately aligned openings 36 formed in plates 15 and 18. Shaft 35 has a fixedly attached crank 37 that provides a crank pin 38 to pivotally connect with one end of a pitman or connecting rod 39 that has its other free end pivotally connected with a pin 40 secured to an arm or link 41. Link 41 is pivotally mounted through an attached sleeve bearing 42 rotatably carried upon the frame shaft 43 fixedly carried by the frame plates 14 and 15. Thus, motion of the pitman 39 oscillates the link if about its pivotal supporting shaft 43 as the crank 37 is rotated by the shaft 35 leading from the transmission 25.

. A second link 44 has one end thereof pivotally carried upon a stub shaft 45 from the outer end of link 41 to provide a pair of articulated links receiving their controlling or main support from the frame shaft 43. Coacting abutment stops 46 and 47 are made a part of each of the links 41 and 44 respectively, while a tension spring 48 is connected with link 44 through an opening 49 in stop 47 and with link 41 through an opening 50 in the link. The action of spring 48 is to urge said links apart or link 4 in a clockwise direction as viewed in Fig. 2 relative to link 41 and in such direction as to try to bring the stops 46 and 47 together to halt further relative motion between the links 41 and 44.

The construction of link 44 includes a motion controlling or guide roller 51 connected with the freely swingable end of link 44 and the latter also includes a striker operating roller 52 located at another end portion of said link. As the links 41 and 44 appear in Fig. 2, which illustrates the bell ringer at rest and in inoperative position, the guide roller 51 is seated upon the adjacent edge 53 of pitman 39 and roller 51 is maintained in this contact through the tension of spring 48.

All of the foregoing link and striker actuating means is made to function in a plane of operation that is laterally offset in relation to the location of the striker and to its normal plane of operation as will become more evident from the following detailed description of the striker unit.

The striker is indicated in its entirety at 54 and comprises .a composite pendulum unit having a pendulum arm'SS with a bearing sleeve 56 to pivotally encircle frame shaft 43, arm flanking weights S7 and a clapper or clapper head 53 connected with the weights and positi'oned to engage a hell or adjacent surface thereof under operative swinging conditions of the striker unit.

In addition, the striker is supplied with a pair of guide members 67 and 68 that are secured to the rear face of the striker arm and lie in the plane of operation of the striker operating roller 52 carried upon the link 44. Guide member 67 has anextended ledge 69 at one end to intercept the motion of .roller 52 in its path of movement as it approaches the striker during the operation of said articulate link means. This guide member 67 has a further configuration to provide an abutment wall 70 at its other end that coacts with guide member 68 whereby the two members provide a trackway '71 therebetween for the reception of roller 52 as the latter latches on or attaches itself to the striker assembly 54 through the operation of the links 41 and 44. The trackway 71 is i made for interlocking purposes as considered with respect to the actuating link means described which function to bring thestriker operating roller 52 into active locking engagement with the striker assembly 54 through such guide members as 67 and 68 carried by the striker as disclosed and described.

With the latch means 59 in its striker holding relationship, it is not possible to move the striker along its arc of operation away from the bell. As a means to release the latch means 59 from its holding function, the pitman 39 carries a cam blade '72 on its edge face 53 so that the cam blade will move in the same plane of operation as the pitman per se and as controlled by the motion of crank 37. A trip roller 73 is pivotally supported upon a clevis 74 mounted upon the swingable latch bracket 61 with the roller occupying a position in the same plane as the plane of operation of the cam blade 72 to be engaged by the blade during the movement of the pitman 39. This relationship of the coacting elements just described is well illustrated in Figs. 2 and 3.

This completes the general description of the combination of elements and the various functions thereof which combination comprises the bell ringer assembly generally identified at 6 in the drawings. The electrical. control equipment and cooperative units forming a part of this regulatory means will'be subsequently further described in detail.

The operation of the bell ringer will best be understood With reference to Fig. 2. With the parts of the unit occupying the relationships here indicated, the device is inoperative and at rest in the position that was established at the end of the previous cycle of operation. By supplying current to the motor 21, with brake 27 released, the drive is transmitted through shaft 22, coupling 23, shaft 24 into the speed reducer transmission to be induced into shaft 35 that leads to crank 37 to rotate the latter in a clockwise direction in Fig. 2. Crank 37 then imparts counterclockwise rotation to link 41 to bodily move link 44 downwardly. This brings roller 52 upon the top of ledge 69 of guide member 67 with roller 51 guiding the roller 52 into such a position by means of the roller 51 following downwardly along the side face 53 of the pitman 39. Continued motion of the pitman 39 as brought about by the action of crank 37 will move the parts along as best shown in full lines in Fig. with pitman 39 separating from roller 51 as shown and thus leaving roller 52 on its own traveling over ledge 69 toward the trackway 71 of the striker 54. A more advanced position of the parts is illustrated in dot and dash lines in Fig. 5 which shows such parts just before the roller 52 enters the trackway 71 for interlocking engagement with the guide members 67 and 68 of the striker. 5

Immediately beyond the dot and dash line position as shown in Fig. 5, the articulate links are drawn together by the spring 48 into stop to stop (46 and .47) position which occurs as roller 52 descends into latching or interlocking relation with the striker through the instrumentality of the guide members 67 and 68 as best illustrated in Fig. 7. Roller 52 only descends as deeply into trackway 71 as shown in Fig. 7 which places it in a position to draw or actuate the striker to the left in Fig. 7 with the roller taking a path along the dot and dash are 75 which is substantially normal to the abutment wall 70 of the trackway.

It must be understood, that while the latching or hookon operation is being brought about, that the cam blade 72 of pitman 39 has described an arc in a plane to engage trip roller 73 to release latch means 59 by moving the latch roller 60 out of the latch hook element 66 on the striker as well illustrated in Fig. 7.

Continued motion by the crank and pitman will now carry the striker into a full line location as shown in Fig. 6 with the striker cocked or retracted to an elevated position along its arc of travel that is well above the original forward or hell side position of the striker. This is done to provide enough gravitational action on the striker to give it the power to move beyond its original position and to have enough kinetic energy to strike the bell sufliciently hard for proper bell ringing results.

In Fig. 6 it should be noted that roller 51 has again reengaged the side of the pitman which is a situation that takes place prior to the retraction of the striker into the position shown. This causes rotation of the link 44 and fairly quick withdrawal of roller 52 out of its trackway. With very little additional movement of the crank 37 and pitman 39 from the full line positions thereof in Fig. 6, roller 52 looses its contact with wall surface 70 and trips over the curved corner 76 against the action of spring 48 to trip release the striker 54 which swings into the dotted line b'ell striking position illustrated to the right in Fig. 6.

While traveling to the bell striking point, the striker depresses the latch roller 60 by means of the cam face 65 of the latching plate 64. The latching means 59 snaps back to operative latching position against stop 63 and catches the striker upon its rebound through engagement of the latch hook element 66 with the latch roller 60. The other parts are simultaneously returned to their initial inactive starting positions as shown in Fig. 2 after the crank 37 has made one complete revolution as determined by the timing and designed relationship of the entire actuating mechanism and its power drive control and design. The same cycle can be repeated by each complete revolution of the driven crank 37.

The electrical timing and control equipment to set up a given bell ringing program is best explained with reference to Fig. 8. A 24 hour timing clock 77 is used which provides contacts for current supply every five minutes. For purposes of simplicity and explanation, only four sets of clock controlled timing contacts are shown at 78, 79, 80 and 81. Line current is supplied from the service wires 82 and 83 through leads 84 and 85 to the clock terminals to run the clock. Shunt connections are provided at 86 to supply current through wires 87 and 88 to a transformer which in this case supplies a 24 volt current to the balance of the electrical equipment.

From transformer 89 current is supplied through wire 89a to the radially outer contacts 90 of the clock contact sets 78 to 81. Contacts 91 are all connected with wire 92 that feeds into wire 93 connected with a program drive motor 94 including suitable reduction gearing means indicated at 95 to drive a shaft 96. Discs 97 and 98 are secured to shaft 96 and disc 97 having one notch 97a is usedfor complete single revolution control of shaft'96, while disc 98 is a program disc having, as an example, four notches 99 to provide four bell ringing cycles for one complete revolution of disc 97. A ground wire 100 leads from motor 94 to the other side of the transformer 89 to complete the program motor circuit.

When the clock hand 101 of the clock 77 closes the circuit across contacts 80, current passes from the transformer 89 through the clock to wire 93 and to the motor 94- to turn shaft 96. At that instant, both switches 102 and 103 close, and current then flows from the transformer 89 along wires 104, 105 and 106 to a sole noid 107 closing switch 108 to connect line current from wire 82 into wire 109 to start the motor 21 to operate shaft 22 leading to the bell ringing mechanism as previously described. As the switch 108 closes, current is also diverted from line wire 82 through Wire 110 to the solenoid 28 which simultaneously releases brake 27.

Since the clock supplies current for only a limited time (20 seconds in this case) the closing of switch 102 provides auxiliary means to supply motor 94 with current for the entire single revolution of disc 97. Disc 98 only supplies current momentarily to the solenoid 107 through the notched periphery of the disc 98 so it is necessary to provide further auxiliary current supply means to keep the solenoid 107 energized at least until disc 97 finishes one complete revolution. This auxiliary means comprises a microswitch 111 that is operated by a roller blade 112 which in its normal released or outward position provides a closed circuit. When the roller blade is depressed the circuit is open.

This switch 111 is controlled by an arcuate flange 113 secured to the outer swinging end of the crank 37, the switch being suitably mounted upon the frame plate 15 to place the roller in the path of the crank flange 113. After the solenoid 107 is energized through switch 103, the motor 21 is placed in operation and the crank blade or flange is moved out of contact with the roller of switch 111 to close the latter. This then closes the circuit to solenoid 107 across wires 114, 115 and 106 to keep the system in operation after switch 103 has again opened beyond the controlling notch 99 of the disc 98.

Thus switch 103 becomes inactive, switch 102 keeps the program motor in operation, and the microswitch 111 keeps the bell ringer in operation through one bell ringing cycle. The latter results in the action which takes placeas crank 37 moves the crank flange into reengagement with the roller of the microswitch in a position as shown in Fig. 2 causing current interruption to solenoid 107 to cut-ofi motor 21 and to deenergize solenoid 28 again rendering the brake 27 effective to stop the motor.

As switch 103 again closes at a notch during the running of motor 94 as governed by switch 102, the same cycle of operation is repeated, with the switch 1 11 again taking over from switch 103 during the timed relation existing between disc 98 and the movement of the crank 37 and its arcuate crank flange or blade 113. Other types of discs such as 98 may be used for other program requirements.

While the foregoing description has been directed to a preferred embodiment of the invention and to the desired manner of operation thereof, certain changes are contemplated with respect to the exact design of the individual elements and mechanisms thereof or in the combinations of such elements and mechanisms without departing from the fundamental concept of the design of hell ranger disclosed. Such modifications are, however, to be governed by the breadth and scope of the language defining the invention as appears in the hereinafter claimed subject matter.

What I claim is:

l. A mechanism for ringing a bell comprising a supporting frame, a striker pivotally carried upon said frame for swinging movement along a given are of operation and adapted for striking a surface portion of an adjacently arranged bell, latch means to releasably retain said striker in an inoperative fixed position adjacent to the bell, actuating means coacting with said striker to move the latter along its arc of operation to a predetermined raised position along said are and remote from the bell, said actuating means including trip means to automatically release said latch means to permit free striker movement, and cooperative mechanism carried by said actuating means and said striker to automatically release said striker at said remote and raised position to permit said striker to gravitationally return along its path of swing to strike the bell to reengage said latch means upon rebound from the bell.

2. In a mechanism as in claim 1 wherein said actuating means comprises a drive crank having a pitman with articulate link means connected with said pitman, said link means comprising a first link having connecting means arranged to engage a portion of said striker to move the latter, a second link having abutment means arranged for operable engagement with a portion of said pitman during certain intervals of motion of the latter in its cycle of operation, said first link and its connecting means functioning to actuate said striker along its arc of swing to place said striker in a position for gravitational release, and said second link and its abutment means functioning to release said first link and its connecting means from said striker for bell ringing engagement by said striker.

3. In a mechanism as in claim 1 wherein said actuating means comprises an operating crank, a pitman on said crank, and cooperative joined link means connected with said pitman and coacting with said striker to control the movements of said striker, and said trip means comprising a projecting element on said pitman adapted for predetermined contacting engagement with said latch means to automatically release the latch means from said striker.

4. An apparatus for ringing a tower bell comprising supported spaced frame plates, a bell striker positioned between said plates having a weighted clapper and a pendulum arm connected with said clapper, pivotal means carried by said plates and mounting said striker by its pendulum arm for free swinging movement between said plates and in a direction to contact an adjacently arranged bell at one end of the swing of said striker, a latch mechanism to hold said striker in a raised position on its are of swing in spaced and inoperative relation with respect to said bell, and actuating mechanism mounted upon said plates independently of said striker to move the latter comprising a first means to engage a portion of said striker to move the same along its arc of swing, said first means having release means to disconnect said latch mechanism from said striker to permit the striker to be moved by said first means to a raised point along said are in a position remote from said bell, and a second means to disconnect said first means from operative engagement with said striker to permit the striker to gravitationally swing along its arc of operation to engage said bell and to rebound therefrom, said release means for said latch being moved to an inoperative relation by said first means during striker release to permit relatching of said striker upon rebound from the bell.

' 5. In an apparatus as in claim 4 wherein said first means of said actuating mechanism comprises swingable link means operable in laterally offset relation with respect to said striker, said striker having a trackway with one wall portion thereof forming interlocking means, and

said swingable link means having a roller positioned'in the plane of said trackway to roll into the'interlockin'g means thereof upon actuation of said links whereby to positively move said striker according to the motion of said roller and the connectible swingable link means.

- 6. A mechanism for ringing a bell comprising a freely swingable striker, holding means to position said striker in a first location adjacent one face of a bell, striker actuating mechanism including coacting means to connect with a portion of the striker to bodily move the latter and to simultaneously cause release of said holding means, and striker release means to disconnect said striker from the motion of said actuating mechanism at a second location of displacement of said striker that is remote from the face of said bell to permit gravitational. return of said striker for engaging said bell.

7. In a mechanism for ringing a bell as defined in claim 6 wherein said striker has a clapper on its swingable end and said holding means orients said first location of said striker and said clapper in a raised elevation along the arc of striker travel with the clapper disposed adjacent the face of the bell, and wherein said striker actuating means transports said striker to a second and remote location along the arc of striker travel to position said clapper at another elevation which is higher than the elevation of said first location to permit sufiicient gravitational swing of the striker and its clapper to range beyond said first location to strike the'bell located therebyond.

8. An apparatus for ringing a bell comprising a bell striker, supporting means to movably carry said striker for gravitational operation along a given path bearing a predetermined relation with respect to one surface portion of a bell, releasable retaining means to arrest the travel of said striker in a given position along said path, and actuating mechanism to bodily move said striker in controlled relation along said path into a position from which said striker may freely swing along its path of travel and in a direction to strike said one surface portion of said bell, said actuating mechanism and said striker having coacting latch means to attach said mechanism to said striker to transport said striker, and automatic release means to disconnect said coacting latch means at a predetermined point during the transport of said striker.

9. In an apparatus as in claim 8, wherein said actuating mechanism includes trip means to automatically render said striker retaining means inoperative in a given timed relation with respect to the functioning of said latch means.

10. In an apparatus as in claim 8, wherein said striker supporting means comprises a pivotally carried swinging arm.

11. In an apparatus as in claim 8, wherein said actuating mechanism is independently supported for operation adjacent the path of motion of said striker and said coacting latch means comprise a roller and trackway elements arranged for interlocking engagement.

12. In the apparatus of claim 11, wherein a power driven crank and connected pitman are incorporated into said actuating mechanism, and coacting trip elements are carried by certain of the movable members of said actuating mechanism for active engagement at agiven point in the cycle of operation of striker transport to cause release of said latch means to disengage said striker from the control of said actuating mechanism. t

13. An apparatus to ring a bell comprising a striker having an arm and a'bell clapper thereon, a mounting, pivotal means on said mounting to freely suspend the arm for swinging said clapper toward or away from the bell, and operating mechanism to bodily manipulate the striker through a given arc of travel for release to engage said bell comprising releasable retaining means to hold said striker in an inoperative position with respect to an adjacent surface of the bell, and striker actuating means to bodily swing said striker into a retracted cocked position for tree swing release in the direction of said bell comprising independent link mechanism carried by said pivotal means and including coacting locking elements on said link mechanism and on said striker arm respectively arranged for limited positive engagement during a given amount of arcuate swing of said striker, and power operated mechanism connected to actuate said link mechanism in relation to said pivotal means and to render said coacting elements operative to move said striker into said cocked position, said power operated mechanism providing trip means to release said retaining means to allow free actuation of said striker about its suspending pivotal means, said link mechanism including release means to separate said coacting locking elements when said striker assumes its fully cocked position.

14. In an apparatus as in claim 13 wherein said power operated mechanism provides a movable element that is operable in a path for contact with a portion of said link mechanism to elfect the release of said locking elements and the simultaneous release of said striker from said cocked position.

15. In an apparatus as in claim 13 wherein said locking elements comprise an abutment unit on said link mechanism and socket means on said striker arm to receive said abutment unit, and said link mechanism is arranged to move said abutment unit toward and away from said 10 pivotal means to enter or retract from said socket means of said arm.

16. In an apparatus as in claim 13 wherein said power operated mechanism comprises connected crank and pitman members and said link mechanism includes a trip unit thereon arranged for contact with one of said members to control the function of said coacting locking elements.

17. In an apparatus as in claim 16 wherein one of said members carries a trip means to automatically release the retaining means to permit the free actuation of the striker by means of said coacting locking elements.

Reierences Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,190,207 Williams July 4, 1916 1,260,461 Schnyler Mar. 26, 1918 1,733,175 Winnall Oct. 29, 1929 1,938,713 Merrill Dec. 12, 1933 2,003,340 Burrows June 11, 1935 2,523,970 Roy Sept. 26, 1950 FOREIGN PATENTS 26,757 Great Britain Jan. 12, 1905 

